


caught in a maelstrom

by peeira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Dimension Travel, Gen, Parallel Universes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 02:16:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19141561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peeira/pseuds/peeira
Summary: Another year passes by and Naruto realizes he still doesn’t know a single thing about his heritage.Sure, the Uzumaki have long lives, their chakra levels are off the charts, (most of them!) have red hair – but everybody knows those things. What about their actual lives? What did they eat? What kind of games did they play? How did they confess their love?He doesn’t even know any fuuinjutsu!He finishes eating his bowl of ramen and decides to do something about it.





	caught in a maelstrom

Another year passes by and Naruto realizes he still doesn’t know a single thing about his heritage.

Sure, the Uzumaki have long lives, their chakra levels are off the charts, (most of them!) have red hair– but everybody knows those things. What about their _actual_ lives? What did they eat? What kind of games did they play? How did they confess their love?

He doesn’t even know any fuuinjutsu!

He finishes eating his bowl of ramen and decides to do something about it. That is, he goes to speak with the Hokage and try his luck.

He storms into her office, scaring poor Shizune, who almost drops a giant stack of papers she was holding onto the ground. “Granny! I wanna know more about the Uzumaki!” he proclaims, slamming his hands on her desk as she writes something on a scroll.

Tsunade, used to his shenanigans, doesn’t seem to mind the sudden intrusion. “What brought this on?” she asks without taking her eyes of the paperwork.

He tugs at his whiskers. “I, uh, never got a change to find out more about my mom. I figured… y’know, going to the place she was born would help me find out about how she lived!”

She stops writing and lifts her head. “You want to go to Uzushiogakure? It’s been abandoned for years now, there’s nothing left.”

“I know! I know. It’s just…” he sighs. “I never knew anything about my parents until recently and… I just wanted to know more about her. So!” he says. “You coud send me on a secret mission or something!” he pouts. “Pretty please?”

Tsunade hums thoughtfully, considering his proposition. “Well, things _have_ been quiet lately.”

He nods vividly. “That’s right, that’s right!”

She shuffles through some papers as she continues speaking. “And I don’t seem to have any more missions for you.”

He keeps nodding and grinning.

She sighs, resigned. “Fine,” she says. “But _only_ if you stay out of trouble.”

“I will!” he promises.

“Very well. But before that…” Tsunade whips her face towards Shizune, who yelps, and quickly runs across the room. She picks up a small scroll from a huge stack, and hands it to Tsunade, who scribbles something on it. “Here,” she hands it to Naruto with a wink. “Just in case someone gives you a hard time.”

He’s about to head towards the door when a particular thought bursts into Naruto’s mind, and he twirls around to face the Hokage again. “Um, actually, is it alright if I bring someone else along with me?”

Tsunade quirks an eyebrow, though she quickly realizes what he means. She nods, then goes back to the scroll. “You may.”

He beams, and quickly exits the building.

* * *

Karin decides she needs a break from all of this.

Sure, pestering Suigetsu is fun (even more when his entire body melts), but she’s just sitting around doing nothing - other than reading reports about random experiments that lead to nowhere. And it's so boring.

Sasuke’s nowhere to be seen, having apparently gone off on a journey of self-discovery or some crap like that. Not that she’s sad he’s gone – hello? _he stabbed her!_ She knows Juugo won’t go anywhere until Sasuke returns. And there’s no way she’ll stay on the same place as _him_.

But where would she even go? She had no one else go to, no place to stay. Not to mention she was (technically) still a criminal. And if she left, that weird guy would surely come after her.

Karin is pacing mindlessly back and forth around the lab, staring at the random insignias on the doors, until she stops on her tracks as she feels a warm and kind chakra rapidly approaching. She begins to walk outside as the source keeps getting closer and closer.

As she opens the door, she almost bumps into said person. “Naruto?” she asks, adjusting her glasses. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to get you, y’know!”

She tilts her head to the side. “Get me?” It is then she notices a large backpack slung over his shoulder, as well as two sets of scrolls strapped to his hips. What’s he planning?

Naruto nods vigorously. “Uzushiogakure!” he exclaims with almost no explanation. “Don’t you wanna know what our ancestors were like?”

Karin stiffens. _Uzushio_. That’s a word she hasn’t heard in a really, _really_ long time. Not since her mother… “Why would you want to go there? There’s nothing left.”

“I’m on a mission! Well… technically. It’s nothing official, I just asked granny if I could know more about my mother and she told me to go to Uzushio to find out about how they lived.”

“Your mother,” Karin echoes. “You mean Kushina.”

Naruto blinks, caught off guard by the sudden mention of his mother's name. “Did you know about her?”

“My…” she hesitates, then takes a deep breath. “I heard about Kushina from my mother. She told me she was chosen to go to Konoha to act as a vessel for the Nine-Tails because of her strong chakra – which was stronger than anyUzumaki at the time.”

He takes a moment to close his eyes and take in a deep breath. “I see.” Then, he quickly recovers, grinning widely. “So! Wanna come with me? It’ll be fun!”

She crosses her arms and sends him a glare. “And you’re inviting me because…?” They aren’t exactly friends, after all. They barely even spoke before.

“Because,” he begins, waving his hands around. “You’re the only other Uzumaki I know! I know you were born outside of Uzushio, so I figure you probably wanna learn more about it, right?”

His words are met with a moment of silence. Karin crosses her arms and glances back at the lab as she considers his sudden proposition.

Naruto pouts. “You really wanna stay here?” he insists, then leans in closer and whispers, “With _him_?”

Damn it, he’s right - anything beats staying with the person who experiment on her. Even if that means spending time with a distant relative who won’t stop talking for five seconds.

“Fine,” she finally says. “Just - hold on,” She turns around to face the trees surrounding the area and brings her hands to her mouth. “Hey, Yamato!” she shouts, and Naruto has to take a step back over how loud that was. “I’m leaving!”

Immediately, the branches from a nearby tree start to shake, and a wooden humanoid figure begins to take shape. “What!” Yamato yells. He drops down from the tree and lands in front of Karin. “You can’t – uh,” he stops as he notices the other Uzumaki waving at him. “Naruto? What are you doing here?”

“Hey, Yamato!” he greets cheerfully. “I came to get Karin. We’re goin’ to Uzushiogakure!”

He blinks, utterly confused. “Uzushiogakure?”

Karin shrugs. “The Hokage said it was okay, apparently.”

“Yup!” Naruto confirms.

Yamato runs a hand through his face. “You know I can’t let you leave this place, right?”

“It’s fine! I’ll keep an eye on her!” Naruto reassures. He reaches for his bag and retrieves the scroll Tsunade previously gave to him. “Here!” he says, and hands it to Yamato, who frowns.

Karin huffs. “It’s not like I’ll run away. Where would I even go?” Yamato doesn’t seem convinced by her words, but reads the scroll nonetheless.

“We just wanna see how our ancestors were like!” Naruto adds.

“Well,” Yamato sighs. “If Lady Tsunade gave her permission, I suppose there’s nothing I can do,” he remarks, giving the scroll back to Naruto. “And it’s not like I can leave this post anyway…” he mutters to himself.

“Great!” Naruto beams. “See ya later!” he says, and storms way with Karin after him, leaving a confused Yamato behind.

* * *

Before leaving for the journey, they decide to grab some food in a nearby inn on the outskirts of the Fire Country. Both agree to ration it as much as possible, as there might be unexpected surprises on the way. They know there’s a harbour town nearby, so they decide to try their luck there.

It’s a painfully quietroad trip. Both don’t know anything at all about the other – well, Naruto’s kind of a hero now and everyone loves him because of it, but that’s not _knowing_. And small talk is not really their thing.

“So, uh,” Naruto begins. “How’s Sasuke?”

Karin grunts and sends him a glare in response, and he leaves it at that.

When they do reach the nearby town, it’s absolutely packed with people. And of course everyone recognizes Naruto.

Most run up to him, blatantly ignoring the redheaded girl accompanying him (not that she minds) and ask for autographs and pictures. He bashfully signs every single scroll and photograph given to him, and after a shove to the arm by Karin, he asks for information about travelling by boat to the Whirpool Islands. They are then led to a seaman who’s currently taking a pause in a nearby food both.

“So, where are you folks going?” he asks as he takes a bite of his dango.

“Uzushioagkure!” Naruto replies.

The man almost chokes. He turns to stare at Karin and then hums. “I see.” He offers them a free ride, saying something along the lines of “it’s the least I can do for the person who saved us all!”

Karin rolls her eyes at that, but otherwise does not protest. The man beckons them to follow him towards the docks, where his boat is docked.

They hop in, Karin at the front and Naruto at the back, with the man behind them rowing.

“Uzushio, uh? I must say I was quite surprised. No one’s been there after the Second War,” the man says. Naruto whips his head around and lifts an eyebrow, and the man can tell he’s curious so he keeps talking. “People are scared of traps that might have been left behind by the sealers, you see,” he explains. “It’s just a rumour, but better safe than sorry.”

Naruto closes his eyes and nods thoughtfully. “I see, I see…”

Karin folds her legs up to her chest and rests her head on her knees. “The Uzumaki were known for their sealing techniques after all,” she says in a very low tone of voice. “They may be gone, but the traps they left behind might still be active.”

They spent the rest of the trip in silence.

* * *

When they do reach the shoreline, it’s already night out. The man bids them farewell, telling them he’ll be back in three days to pick them up.

Naruto and Karin stand silently for a few moments, taking in that they are actually _there_.

Naruto swallows, all kinds of emotions rushing through his entire body. He glances at Karin, who’s staring seemingly into nothing. She begins walking away without a word, and he follows after her.

It’s very dark, but they are able to make a small torch using a fallen branch. Not that it helps much as it is incredibly dark.

They manage to find a grassy path leading up to some broken stairs, but before Naruto can reach it, Karin stops him. “Wait,” she says, and lifts a finger up to her face. She concentrates, then says, “I don’t sense any traps nearby. We can keep going.”

Having made their way up, they stop to marvel at the destroyed buildings. All of them once huge and colourful now ruined.

Karin inhales. “Look at this place.” And Naruto agrees. He tries to imagine what Kushina running around would have looked like back in the day. “My mother used to tell me all sorts of stories about this place. Of how much she loved it, but how she was forced to leave because of the war,” she says. “I barely remember them anymore.”

They continue trekking, glancing at the still-visible spiral crest symbols drawn on the walls.

Naruto yawns loudly, and Karin does her best to suppress one yawn as well. “We can rest the night and explore tomorrow,” she suggests.

He agrees, rubbing at his eyes.

They manage to find a building that is mostly intact. The windows are broken and there are scorch marks on the wall, but peering through the window, they notice the interior is surprisingly well kept. It would do.

They open the door and let out a quiet “sorry for bothering…” as they step in through the door.

Karin settles in the corner opposite of the door. She lies on the wooden floor and places her bags underneath her head, acting as a pillow. Naruto tosses his bags to the side, flops onto his stomach, and closes his eyes. He falls asleep instantly.

* * *

Karin is the first to wake up. She stretches her arms forward, then sits up.

And then she think she’s going crazy, because she swears she can hear voices. Outside. Huh.

She jolts up from the floor and immediately darts towards Naruto, who’s still snoring. She nudges him and he responds by rolling to the side, drooling all over the place. Yuck.

She shoves him harder this time, and he starts to stir, rubbing at his face. “What? What!” he grumbles, then he looks at her, and lets out a groggy yawn. “Oh, it’s just you.”

“Don’t you hear that?”

“Huh? Hear what? What are-” he doesn’t finish, as Karin quickly shoves a hand into his mouth with a _‘Hush!’_   He muffles a protest, but nonetheless stays quiet and listens. Then, his eyes go wide open as his ears pick up sounds from outside.

Karin lets go of her hold on Naruto, and jabs a finger towards the door. “We should see what’s going on,” she says quietly.

He swallows and nods, slowly getting up.

They quickly make to the door, slamming it open, and as soon as they step foot outside both stand completely agape at the sight of people going on their daily lives before them.

Naruto blinks. “Uh...”

“What the hell…” Karin says under her breath.

They could swear that most of the buildings in front of them weren’t even there the night before. There appears to be a small market in front of them, with several stores all packed with costumers. They also notice what appear to be guards walking amongst the crowd, all wearing shiny golden armour with giant scrolls strapped to their backs.

And above all, they see red.

They stand still for what seems like an eternity, enthralled by their sights, when suddenly a voice calls out to them.

“Hey! What are you guys standing there for? You’re in my way!”

They turn around to face whoever said that, and Naruto _blanches_. He gasps as he stares at the younger figure of his mother.

Naruto feels his stomach sink to the ground. He shakes his head, thinking that something must be very, very wrong. There’s no way she could be here. There’s no way any of these people could be here! Unless...

“Dispel!” he cries out, surprising Karin. And other than Kushina frowning, nothing happens. She's still there. It’s not a genjutsu, he realizes, this is very much _real_. His mother is standing in front of him. And she is much younger than him.

But how? How could this be?

Kushina clears her throat and crosses her arms, examining the duo intently. “Who the heck are you?” she asks. “I’ve never seen you guys before.” She squints at Naruto, fixated on his blonde hair. “Especially you!”

Naruto is about to say something when Karin grabs him by the arm and shoves him to her side. “You shouldn’t do that,” she advises.“Until we figure out what’s going on we shouldn’t reveal anything about us.”

Naruto opens his mouth to say something, but obliges. His eyes drift back to Kushina, who’s tapping her feet impatiently, and can feel tears threatening to fall from his eyes. He shoves them aside, though. Right now, they need to figure out what exactly is going on. “What should we even do?”

Karin suppresses a sigh. “I don’t know,” she answers. “Are you even sure that’s her?”

“I’m sure! I’ve seen her before!” he says. Karin gives him an odd look. “I know, it sounds weird. But that’s her, I’m sure of it!” Naruto adds, and she leaves it at that.

Karin shifts her gaze to a lively crowd behind after someone lets out a very loud laugh. Amongst that crown, something -or rather, someone- catches her eye. She notices a tall, grey-eyed woman carrying a basket full of fruit. She’s talking to other red-haired girls. And Karin stops breathing.

“Uh,” Naruto calls out to her, realizing she’s now shaking. “You okay?”

“That’s...” she can’t even finish. She can’t even process what she is looking at. _Who_ she is looking at. She keeps staring and notices the woman is wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and there are no bite marks on her arms at all. She looks at her mother - _Kaori_ , a name she hasn’t pronounced in a really long time- for a moment before letting her eyes flicker back to Naruto. “That’s… That’s my mother.”

Naruto stares at her open-mouthed. “Your mother? Karin, you mean-”

She whips around. “I need to go talk to her.”

“H-Hey!” he says. “How come when I-”

“You don’t get it, Naruto.” Karin interrupts, feeling her throat tighten. She has absolutely no idea why she’s telling him about this, letting herself be this vulnerable, but there’s something about him that makes her feel safe and warm. She wraps her arms around herself. “I don’t remember seeing my mother smile.” She glances back at Kaori once again. “She’s… happy. Safe. No one is _hurting_  her.”

Naruto stays quiet for a few moments, taking in her words. “I get it.” He softly places a hand on Karin’s shoulder and braces himself for a negative reaction. Seeing as she doesn’t protest, he wraps his arms around her shaking shoulders. “You want to see her again.”

Karin lets out a shaky sob, then nods.

In the meantime, Kushina glances between them quizzically, but stays silent, intrigued by their conversation.

“Then let’s go talk to her,” he says, leaning away from her. “We could even ask my mo-,” he cuts himself off. “Wait a minute! Kushina came to Konoha when she was still a child right?”

Karin nods, wiping away her tears. “But if Kushina is still in Uzushio as a teen then…”

Naruto clutches at his stomach, feeling the fiery chakra from within. “Then where’s the Nine-Tails?”

**Author's Note:**

> Karin and Naruto are around 18-19. This takes place after the end of the war (after Sasuke left) but before The Last.
> 
> Tsunade is still the Hokage here because I say so. Kakashi hated being placed in charge, and there was no reason at all for Tsunade to retire other than Kishimoto hating his female characters. So yeah.
> 
> I love alternate dimension/parallel universe stuff, and wanted to try something out! (I kinda spoiled you there, whoops). Anyway, I hope you liked this!


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